ACTION Apartment Association

Los Angeles stops accepting new applicants for Section 8

03/06/2025 7:52 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles has stopped accepting new applicants for the Section 8 voucher program that subsidizes rent for tens of thousands of tenants in the city.

The local authority, which is funded by the federal government, said it made the move because it doesn't expect Congress to provide enough cash this year to maintain current operations.

Santa Monica Rents Rise in Wake of Wildfires

03/05/2025 9:38 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Apartment List researchers saw rent increases in cities close to the Palisades and Eaton fires, with rents rising by 3 percent in Santa Monica since the start of the year and 2 percent in Burbank, Glendale and Pasadena.

Notification Forms for Eviction Protections and Rent Relief Now Available for Wildfire-Impacted Tenants

03/04/2025 10:40 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Department of Consumer and Business Affairs has made the forms available to help renters qualify for protections recently enacted by the Board of Supervisors. The safeguards apply throughout the county, including all 88 cities and unincorporated areas, and aim to prevent displacement due to financial hardship caused by the fires.

City Must Use Savings to Stay Afloat

03/04/2025 10:37 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The dire fiscal prognosis comes one week before the City Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday "to lay out priorities and a framework" for the 2025-2027 Operating Budget.

The five-year forecast shows that General Fund expenditures will "significantly exceed revenues" until Fiscal Year 2028-29, even with the use of new business license and parking facility taxes, said Finance Director Oscar Santiago.

AND: https://www.santamonica.gov/blog/city-council-to-discuss-biennial-budget-plan-focused-on-economic-growth

Council Sets Aside 3 Affordable Housing Sites

03/04/2025 10:36 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The Bergamot Station Arts Center, 4th/5th/Arizona and Downtown Parking Structure 1 are the last of five City owned sites designated as "surplus land" to build 1,880 affordable units.

SM.a.r.t Column: The Perils of Passing the Buck: How Self-Certification Threatens Public Safety

03/03/2025 9:54 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The new proposal, by allowing architects to vouch for submittals for the safety, sustainability, and code compliance, where any warranty or promise undermines the standards of care. If something goes wrong – whether it’s a structural failure, a fire hazard, or an ADA violation – the architect doesn’t have the shield of sovereign immunity that the city does. Furthermore, with limiting city staff budgets for inspectors, would third-party inspectors be retained by the architect? That can increase risks to potentially face lawsuits, crippling insurance claims, and damage to their professional reputations.

Council approves next steps for affordable housing development of city-owned sites

02/28/2025 4:06 PM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

Two of the five sites identified in the Housing Element are now in the pre-development phase.

The remaining sites are:

1333 4th St. and 1324 5th St. (collectively known as 4th/5th/Arizona)
2500 Olympic Blvd. (Bergamot Station Arts Center)
Main Street public parking lots 9, 10 and 11

Landlord to Pay $450,000 in Tenant Harassment Suits

02/27/2025 9:03 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

In its lawsuit, the City alleged the Defendants "engaged in a campaign of harassment against a family of four with two young children, trying to drive them out of their long-term rent-controlled home" at 1745 Franklin Street, according to the City Attorney's office.

New State Housing Law Could Impact Santa Monica

02/26/2025 8:46 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

AB 1893 updates the builders remedy provision under the Housing Affordability Act (HAA) to include certain mixed-use projects that include at least 500 net new residential units, according to a memo from City Community Development officials.

Palisades Fire: Santa Monica to host virtual town hall on recovery

02/26/2025 8:45 AM | Margaret Fulton (Administrator)

The city of Santa Monica will host a virtual town hall meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 26, to provide updates and answer questions from Santa Monica businesses and residents about Palisades Fire recovery.